13-1 Notes

Bold Words:
Middle Ages: The Roman empire ushered in an era of European history. It spanned the years from about 500 to 1500.
Monasteries: A community that the Church built in order to adapt rural conditions.
Secular: Worldly, power involved in politics.

Key People:
Franks: Franks are the people that held power in the Roman province Gual. Their leader was Clovis. He would bring christianity to the region. In 496, Clovis led his warriors to fight another Germanic army and prayed that they would win, which they did. He had 3,000 of his warriors asked a bishop to baptize him.
Carolingian Dynasty: The family that would rule the Franks from 751 to 987.
Charlemagne: The name for Charles, or Charles the Great, who ruled the Frankish kingdom.

Key Events:
• Middle ages had roots in 1) classical heritage of Rome 2) the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church and 3) Customs of various Germanic tribes

Invasions of Western Europe
• Germanic invaders overran the western half of the Roman empire and altered the economy, government and culture because of invasions.
• Disruption of Trade- Merchants faced invasions from land & sea and business collapsed. Europe's cities trades were destroyed and money became scarce.
• Downfall of Cities- With the fall of the Roman Empire, cities were abandoned as centers of administration.
• Population Shifts- Nobles retreated to the rural areas, which lead Roman cities with no leadership. City dwellers also fled to to the countryside and grew their own food. Western Europe's population become mostly rural.
The Decline of Learning- Germanic invaders who stormed Rome couldn't read or write and few people expected priests and other church officials were literate. Greek knowledge was lost. Germanic tribes had a rich oral tradition of songs and legends, but no written language.
Loss of a Common Language- Latin was an official language, but no long understood. Different dialects developed as new words and phrases became part of everyday speech. By 800's French, Spanish and other Roman-based-languages had evolved from Latin.

Germanic Kingdoms Emerge
• 400-600's there were Germanic kingdoms and the borders of these kingdoms changed because of war, but the Church still provided order and security.

The Concept of Government Changes
• Government changed- family ties and personal loyalty. They lived in small communities that were government by unwritten rules and traditions.
• Every Germanic chief led a band of warriors who pledged their loyalty to him. They lived in the lord's hall who gave them food, weapons, and treasure. They were supposed to fight to the death at their lord's side (disgrace to out live him.) Germanic warriors did not obey a king or an official sent to collect taxes.
Clovis Rules the Franks
• Franks are the people that held power in the Roman province Gual. Their leader was Clovis. He would bring christianity to the region. In 496, Clovis led his warriors to fight another Germanic army and prayed that they would win, which they did. He had 3,000 of his warriors asked a bishop to baptize him.
• Rome's Church welcomed Clovis's conversion and supported his military campaigns against others. 511, Clovis had united the Franks into one kingdom.

Germans Adopt Christianity
• Politics was a key role in spreading Christianity. 600, The church (Frankish Rulers) had converted many Germanic peoples. Missionaries also spread Christianity. In Southern Europe, the fear of a coastal attacks by Muslims also spurred many people to become Christians in the 600s.

Monasteries, Convents, and Manuscripts
• A monasteries, Christian men called Monks gave up their private possessions and devoted their lives to God. Women who followed this were called nuns and lived in convents.
• 520, an Italian monk named Benedict began writing a book describing a strict/practical set of rules for monasteries. Scholastica (Benedict's sister) adapted the same rules for women. Monks and nuns devoted their lives to prayer and good works.
• Monasteries became Europe's best-educated communities- Monks opened schools, libraries, and copied books. 731, Venerable Bede (English monk) wrote a history of England (best literature) 600s-700s monks had best literature.
Papal Power Expands Under Gregory I
• 590, Gregory I (Gregory the Great) became pope. He broadened the authority or the papacy (pope's office) and became a secular. Pope's palace was the center of Roman government. He used church revenues to raise armies, repair roads, and help the poor, and negotiated peace treaties with invaders such as Lombards.
• Gregory thought the region from Italy to England from Spain to Germany was his and so he strengthened the vision of Christendom. Middle ages was centered with churchly kingdoms ruled by a pope.

An Empire Evolves
• Small kingdom sprang up all over Europe. England splintered into 7 tiny kingdoms. Frank's controlled the largest/strongest Europe kingdoms, formerly the Roman province of Gual. Clovis died in 511, he had extended Frankish rule over France.
Charles Martel Emerges
• 700, an official known as major domo (mayor of the palace) was the most powerful person in the Frankish kingdom because he ruled household, estates, armies, and made policies.
• 719, Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) had more power than the king. He defeated Muslim raiders from Spain at the Battle of Tours 732. If Muslims won then Western Europe could have become Muslim. He became a Christian hero.
• Charles Martel passed on his power to his son, Pepin the Short. He agreed to fight the Lombards, and in exchange the pope anointed Pepin "king by the grace of god." Carolingian Dynasty ruled Franks 751 to 987.

Charlemagne Becomes Emperor
• Pepin died in 768 and gave Frankish kingdoms to his two sons, Carloman and Charles. 771, Charles known as Charlemagne ruled.

Charlemagne Extends Frankish Rule
• He led his armies against enemies that surrounded his kingdom and conquered new lands to both the south and the east and he also spread Christianity, reunited western Europe. 800, Charlemagne's empire was larger than the Byzantine Empire. He was the most powerful king in Europe.
• 800, Charlemagne traveled to Rome to crush a mob that attacked the pope. Pope Leo III crowned him emperor. He was called "Roman Emperor" on a European king.

Charlemagne Leads a Revival
• To govern his empire and sent out royal agents who made sure landholders (counts) governed their counties justly. Charlemagne close watch on the managements. He also rounded himself with English, German, Italian, and Spanish scholars and he opened a palace school and school for future monks and priests.

Charlemagne's Heirs
• Louis the Pious got appointed leader (814) and his sons signed the Treaty of Verdun which divided the kingdom into three. As a result, Carolingian kings lost power and central authority broke down. Led to feudalism.